I clearly remember watching ‘Rang De Basanti’ with my family and was blown away by its brilliance and the impact it created on me personally. I was in my late teens and never had any movie until then have such an ever-lasting impact on me. Everything from the performances, to the story to the plot twists and AR Rahman’s exuberance in the songs and BGMs was phenomenal. And it truly remains one of the best movies I have watched in a long-time.
I remember and now should probably even thank my brother as he convinced my parents to take us for a re-watch of ‘RDB’ on a weekday. My parents were adamant as there was school the next day and they said we could watch it in the weekend, but I stood firm and even remember going into my room and crying like a cry-baby in a bid to convince my parents to oblige and take me to the theatre for a re-watch of this movie.
And my brother convinced them and we all went to watch the movie again in theatres! I have such fond memories of watching this movie and that experience is still so fresh in my mind. And this movie released at a time when my brother was in his college days. He was so lucky as he could experience and connect to all the characters- DJ, Aslam, Karan, Sukhi and even Ajay as he also had a big gang of friends in college.
Probably, that is why this remains the only Bollywood movie which has such a strong connect between us apart from Mani Ratnam’s work in Bollywood. We could probably watch it again in an OTT platform, such is the recall value of this classic. It would be the few Hindi movies we still can connect with through AR Rahman’s energetic and triumphant soundtrack.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpW7Vci18gY
I clearly remember him buying the cassette of RDB and it started off with ‘Ik Onkar’ which was a nice, pleasant devotional song. But as soon as ‘Paatshaala’ started playing I wanted to dance in the car! Boy, can ARR get into the mood of a movie or what! Outstanding peppy beats and colloquial lyrics mixed with Hinglish made it a cult classic. The album has songs that touch different chords in various stages of my life.
But thanks to our love for ARR, my brother and I used to keep listening and discovering the album. A beautiful experience as he has a very unique and different taste which is pretty much in contrast to mine barring some really obvious song choices.
So, after giving ‘RDB’ a proper hearing, his favourite was ‘Tu Bin Bateyein’ and ‘Lukka Chuppi’ which I found slow and boring in the beginning. But of-course, as years have gone by, two of my go-to songs from this album are what he liked after the first hearing! Such is the connection we both share with this album as well!
I remember feeling the bromance that DJ and Sukhi shared and even the quiet yet visible love and respect that Karan and Ajay had. It was such a refreshing experience to see how the characters and people evolve during the course of the narrative. Probably, this would give ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ an extremely close fight when it comes to portrayal of friendship and bromance on screen so well!
I still can’t erase the restaurant scene from my memory where DJ in a drunken state talks about ‘The End da style’. For Ajay who is an IAF pilot, it would be with state honour and salutes and for others not even street dogs would bark after their death. This dialogue attains even more significance when Ajay passes away due to a defect in the MIG fighter jet he was operating. A seamless dialogue had such a profound impact later on! Many more such instances makes the dialogues of this movie really powerful and repeat worthy.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFpgYjL2aJo
Along with many others, having followed Ajay’s character and the pride he had in serving his country, it was an extremely emotional moment when Ajay’s belongings come in a coffin post his death and ARR’s voice kicks in ‘Lukka Chuppi’ in the background. That song holds a special place in my heart thanks to its fantastic composition along with the picturization and how that moment (death of someone who was like family) sparks a complete shift in the mood and tone of the plot. No one could hold back and sit quiet, especially after one of their best mates died to political negligence.
I would go on to say that from then my respect for the armed forces went up more as I admired Ajay and the pride, he had in serving his nation. I couldn’t believe that he died in the crash. So, a big salute to all the Armed forces and their families foe being so strong and resilient! Having not had real, first hand exposure of what their families go through, this could probably be the closest I could get to understand their situation. As Waheeda Rahman(who played Ajay’s mother in the movie) says: They are first the nation’s pride and then he is my son. Nation above all.
And of course, you could see how much the death meant to someone like Karan who just wanted to go abroad and move on with life. Ajay’s death sparked something in him and he was at the forefront of the plan to kill the defence minister after knowing that his own father was involved in this scam. This movie took characterization and their development to an all new level. You end up loving each character and their uniqueness and you quietly vouch for them to get justice that was denied.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28OJpIA_rNo
Take for example, Laxman whose role was that of a staunch Hindutva, and how his world is shaken up when the people who orchestrated the violence on people who were peacefully protesting against the government, was actually the same people he worshipped and followed. The shift from shock to bewilderment to outrage was captured magnificently in “Khoon Chala’’. It also introduced me to someone’s voice who I have quietly admired- Mohit Chauhan. Thank you ARR for that.
It goes without saying that Aamir Khan is probably among the best actors in India currently, and this role remains among his best. Even his detractors would rank this up there among his best work. Full credit must be given to the film’s director Rakeyesh Mehra for bringing such characters to life. I found his other works like ‘Bhaag Mikha Bhaag’ and ‘Delhi-6’ pretty disappointing but his stellar work in ‘RDB’ can’t be forgotten!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kMv5ssr6Dw
On a personal note, this movie’s soundtrack holds rather strong significance. Three years after the release of this stellar album, my grandfather passed away. And I used to listen to ‘Robaroo’ on loop on my IPOD in the aftermath of his death. The song embodied hope, happiness. I needed that and will be ever thankful for this song as it helped me in time of extreme distress and helplessness.
Every film has its shelf life, but there are some movies that never leave your system or mind. “Rang De Basanti’’ is one such movie. Ever since I saw it first time, it pulled me like a magnet and still continues to do so. I watched it on NetFlix few weeks back and still I was completely involved and was moved once the movie ended. It felt like the movie had just recently released!!!
I am sure everyone would have watched this coming of age movie ‘Rang De Basanti’ and would have fond memories of this movie. For me personally it’s a mixed bag emotionally but it is something I hold on to for sure, be it in good or bad times. The complete package was something special, I wish that we get another RDB to inspire and rouse a generation like it did upon it’s release.
Thank you Sukhi, DJ, Karan, Laxman, Aslam, Ajay, Sonia and Sue for enriching my childhood, No one could have bought their characters on screen as well as you have. I definitely will watch this movie more often, and relive your journey all over again!!
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